Machine for perforating tape and printing indicia thereon



Oct. 26, 1965 J. A. K. KRAMER 3,213,785

MACHINE FOR PERFORATING TAPE AND PRINTING INDICIA THEREON Filed Jan. 13, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l IIIHI l N VENTOR JOSH/M? K/fieAM-e BY Z Oct. 26, 1965 J. A. K. KRAMER MACHINE FOR PERFORATING TAPE AND PRINTING INDICIA THEREON 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1964 lllllllllllll/ l I I NVENTOR.

Arm/M510 Oct. 26, 1965 J. A. K. KRAMER MACHINE FOR PERFORA'IING TAPE AND PRINTING INDICIA THEREON Filed Jan. 13, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTOR JSEPH A. KA M/M Oct. 26, 1965 J. A. K. KRAMER 3, 3,

MACHINE FOR PERFORAIING TAPE AND PRINTING INDICIA THEREON Filed Jan. 13, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. JZS-PH 4. A4 fi ewm United States Patent 3,213,785 MACHINE FOR PERFORATIN G TAPE AND PRINTING INDICIA THEREON Joseph A. K. Kramer, 36 Huron St., Glen Head, N.Y. Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,225 7 Claims. (Cl. 101-69) The present invention relates to printing indicia on tape or the like and, more particularly, to a machine which advances the tape, perforates the tape and prints indicia thereon.

The present invention primarily is concerned with the production of price tags and the like adapted to be adhesively applied to cans, boxes, bags and other forms of merchandise and adapted to be removed without damage to the goods in the event the price is to be changed. Such price tags are produced from a composite strip of tape having a contact adhesive thereon and a backing strip adhered to the adhesive which is removed when the tags are to be applied to the merchandise.

In establishments, such as supermarkets, where prices may vary considerably because of special sales of particular merchandise for a limited duration, care must be taken so that a customer who has purchased an item at a sales price does not substitute the tag on a like item which is currently selling at a higher price. In order to guard against such frauds, the tags in addition to the price have coded indicia thereon which may indicate the description of the merchandise and the date of the price. Also, in order to enable invalid tags to be easily recognized, the shape, size, color and design of the tags may be varied from time to time. Consequently, such establishments must be equipped with apparatus for readily producing a large quantity of tags for regular rice marking and for changing prices.

Heretofore, it has been customary to run a roll of composite tape through perforating apparatus which formed slits and notches for facilitating separation of the tape into individual tags, rewind the perforated tape and thereafter run the tape through printing apparatus which applied the indicia.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine which performs both the perforating and printing operations.

Another object is to provide such a machine which is compact and sturdy and can be carried to and used at the location of the merchandise to be priced.

Another object is to provide such a machine which can be operated manually and does not depend on a source of electrical power.

Another object is to provide such a machine which collects pieces cut from the tape.

Another object is to provide such a machine which enables the indicia and the size of the tags to be changed at the location where the machine is used.

A further object is to accomplish the foregoing in a simple, practical and economical manner.

Other and further objects will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are generally accomplished 'by providing a machine comprising tape perforating means, tape printing means, means for advancing the tape, and mechanism for effecting operation of the aforementioned means in a desired sequence.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a machine in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the perforated and printed tape produced by the machine.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 44 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 77 on FIG. 5 illustrataing tape advancing and gripping means in one operating position.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 illustrating the tape advancing and gripping means in other operating positions.

General description Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a machine is shown which generally comprises a box-like base or frame 10 having a top or table 11, tape supplying means 12 at one end of the frame, tape perforating means 14 on the frame adjacent the supply of tape, tape printing means 15 on the frame at the other end thereof, tape advancing means 16 on the frame between the perforating and printing means, tape gripping means 17 on the frame between the tape advancing and printing means, mechanism including linkage 18 for effecting operation of the tape perforating, printing and advancing means, and means for guiding the tape across the table, which will be referred to in the detailed description of the aforementioned means about to follow.

In FIG. 3, a portion of the tape produced by the machine is shown. This tape comprises an upper layer U which provides the tags and has a contact adhesive on the underside, and a lower layer L adhered to the upper layer U and removable therefrom when the tags are to be applied to the merchandise (not shown). The tape has notches N at its side edges, one or more transverse slits S aligned with the notches to facilitate separating the tape into individual tags T, and printed indici-a on its upper surface including the price and coding (K) for designating useful information. The tags can be further coded by changing the color or size or the number or shape of the slits or notches as desired.

Tape supplying means As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the tape supplying means 12 comprises a roll of tape 19 rotatably mounted on a shaft 20 supported in slots 21 (FIG. 2) formed in side walls 22 of the frame and positioned in an opening 24 in the top 11 of the frame to conceal the roll of tape except the upper portion thereof. A roller or rod 25 extends across the table 11 between the roll of tape 19 and the perforating means 14 to guide and tension the tape as it is unwound from the roll.

Tape perforating means The tape perforating means 14, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 and 6, generally comprises a punch press 26 and a female die plate 27 secured to the underside of the table 11 across an opening 28 in the table.

The punch press 26 includes a pair of upright rods 29 mounted on the frame 10 which rods extend upwardly from the table 11 and span the tape (FIGS. 5 and 6), a head 30 slidably mounted on the rods 29 for up and down movement, male dies 31 and 32 for respectively notching and perforating the tape carried by the head 30, a cross bar 33 secured adjacent the upper end of each rod 29, a cam following roller 34 rotatably mounted on the head between the rods 29, and a return spring 35 on each of the rods 29 between the table 11 and the head 30. A guide plate 36 for the tape extends across the tape and the female die plate 27 and is formed with a slotted opening 37 (FIG. 5) for allowing the male dies 31 and 32 to pass the'rethrough.

The female die plate 27 has openings 39 and 40 (FIG; 4) extending therethrough which respectively match the male dies 31 and 32 and receive the same as the tape is punched.

In order to collect the punched-out tape cuttings, a box-like receptacle 41 is removably attached to the female die plate 27 within the frame 18 (FIG. 4). The bottom of the frame 10 is open to allow the receptacle 41 to be removed, emptied and replaced.

Tape printing means The tape printing means 15, as best shown in FIG. 4, is of a conventional type which comprises an inking pad 42, a printing loop 44 having a set of indicia pads 45 thereon adapted to be selectively utilized, and operating mechanism including a sleeve 46 provided with a flange 47 adapted to be moved downwardly by an element of the linkage 18.

' A guide member 48 may be provided at each side of the tape for aligning the tape under the printing means.

Tape advancing means As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 8, the tape advancing means include a slideway 5t) and a slide 51 movable back and forth longitudinally along the slideway 50.

The slideway is provided by a plate 52 depending from the underside of the table 11 and having a longitudinally extending slots 54 therein.

The slide 51 includes a head 55 which slides across the table with the tape between the head and the table, a plate 56 secured to and depending from the head 55, and rollers 57 mounted on the plate 56, which rollers ride in the slot 54 of the plate 52. Preferably, the head 55 is a-djustably secured to the plate 56 by providing an elongated slot 58 in the plate 56 and a bolt 59 which passes through this slot and is threaded into the head 55 to clamp the plate 56 thereon.

The head 55 further includes a finger 60 pivotally mounted thereon at 61 adjacent the left end, as viewed in FIG. 5, and having a projection 62 at its free end for entering the slits S to advance the tape; a lateral extension 64 at the right end, as viewed in FIG. 5, positioned above the free end of the finger 60; and a spring 65 (FIG. 7) between the finger and the extension 64 for urging the finger downwardly.

In order to retract the projection 62 from the slits S to disengage the tape, a plate 66 is secured to the table having a cam face 67 at the right end, as viewed in FIG. 7, and providing the free end of the finger 60 with a lateral extension 68 formed with a face 69 for engaging the cam face 67 to raise the finger 60.

In order to raise the finger 60 manually, an upwardly extending handle 49 is mounted thereon adjacent its pivoted end. I

A portion 53 of the plate 66 overlies the tape and provides a guiding surface for a side edge of the tape. Preferably, the plate 66 is adjustably positioned by providing an elongated slot 63 in the table and providing the plate with a bolt and nut arrangement 73 for clamping the plate to the table.

Tape gripping means As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 8, the tape gripping means 17 comprises a wedge or shoe 70 pivotally mounted at 71 on an upwardly projecting plate or formation 72 of the cam plate 66, and a spring 74 biased between the lower end of the wedge and a recessed projection 75 on the plate 72. The wedge has a surface 76 at the underside thereof for gripping and releasing the tape in the manner described hereinafter.

Operating mechanism linkage As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the operating mechanism linkage 18 comprises a lever 80 having one end pivotally mounted at 81 on the crossbar 33, a manually engageable handle 82 at its other end for operating the same and an opening 83 adjacent the handle 82 for receiving the upper end of the sleeve 46 to provide structure for engaging the flange 47 to operate the printing means 15; a cam 84 on the lever 80 at its pivotally mounted end for engaging the roller 34 to operate the punch press 26; a crank 85 pivotally mounted at 86 on the plate 52 and having a first arm 87 and a second arm 88; a link 89 connecting the lever 80 at a point 90 between its ends to the crank arm 87 at 93; and a link 91 having one end connected to the crank arm 88 at 92 and having its other end connected to the slide plate 56 at 94.

The elements of the foregoing described linkage are constructed and arranged so that upon pushing the lever 80 down the crank 85 is first rocked in a clockwise direction to move the slide 51 to the left, as viewed in FIG. 4, whereby the finger 60 is effective to advance the tape one step before the cam 67 raises the finger to disengage the tape and movement of the tape ceases with the wedge 70 now gripping the tape, and then the printing means 15 and the punch press 26 are operated substantially simultaneously to perform their functions. After these operations have been accomplished and the lever 80 is retracted, the slide 51 moves to the right, as viewed in FIG. 8, to a position for allowing the finger projection 62 to enter a slit S just formed in the tape, and the printing means 15 and the punch press 26 return to their upper position.

Operation In order to condition the machine for operation, the tape is manually threaded under the rollers 25, the guide plate 36, the slide 51, the wedge 70 and the guide member 48, and the lever 80 is moved down to operate the punch press 26 to slit and notch the tape. The tape is then advanced manually to a position where the finger projection 62 will enter the first formed slit S, whereupon each time the' lever 80 is moved downwardly thereafter the machine goes through one cycle of operation. The first few sections of the tape will be printed but not notched or slit'ted and are discarded, but the succeeding tape sections will be processed as desired.

Once the machine has been put into operation as just described, the entire roll of tape can be perforated and printed. The operator can carry the machine through the store and make as many tags of a particular type as desired for certain merchandise and can then move on to other merchandise and reset the printing pad loop 44 to a position to produce tags for such merchandise.

The just described machine has an overall length of about sixteen inches, a width of about 4.5 inches, an overall height of about ten inches, and weighs only about nine pounds including a full roll of tape, whereby the machine can be easily carried from one station of merchandise to another within the store with the lever 80 serving as a carrying handle.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel and useful machine for perforating and printing tags at the location where the tags are to be used; which machine is compact, sturdy and economical in construction, and is reliable in operation.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matters are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for perforating tape and printing indicia thereon, the combination of a table, a support on said table, tape perforating means including a punch press mounted on said support arranged for downward movement and having a return spring, tape printing means mounted on said table including an operating member arranged for downward movement and having a return spring, means for guiding the tape through said tape perforating means and said tape printing means, lengthwise extending slideway means on said table between said tape perforating means and said tape printing means, a slide for said slideway means arranged for longitudinal back and forth movement across said table, a finger pivotally mounted on said slide for engaging perforations in the tape, spring means on said slide for urging said finger to enter perforations of the tape, an operating lever pivotally mounted on said support having means adjacent its pivoted end for effecting downward movement of said punch press and having means at its other end for efiecting downward movement of said tape printing means operating member, a crank pivotally mounted adjacent said table, a first link connecting one arm of said crank to said operating lever at a point between its punch press and tape printing means movement effecting means, and a second link connecting the other arm of said crank to said slide, said crank, links and operating lever means being constructed and arranged so that said slide is first moved to cause said finger to advance the tape one step and said tape perforating means and said tape printing means are operated when the tape is at rest.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said operting lever means for effecting downward movement of said punch press include a cam on said lever and a cam follower on said punch press, whereby said return Spring of said punch press effects return movement of said lever, and said links, crank and slide under the control of said lever. i

3. A machine according to claim 1, including a lengthwise extending cam on said table for causing said finger to be withdrawn from the perforations at a point which determines the distance the tape is advanced.

4. A machine according to claim 3, including means for adjusting the position of said cam on said table to vary the distance the tape is advanced.

5. A machine according to claim 3, wherein said cam is positioned above one side edge of the tape and said finger has a lateral extension for engaging said cam.

6. A machine according to claim 3, including means on said table between said cam and said tape printing means for gripping the tape when said finger is withdrawn to prevent the tape from being retracted during operation of said punch press.

7. A machine according to claim 6, wherein said tape gripping means include a pivotally mounted Wedge rendered ineffective while the tape is being advanced, and a spring for rendering said wedge efiective when said finger is withdrawn from the perforations of the tape and the advancing movement of the tape ceases.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,104,829 7/14 Ray 101-292 2,275,012 3/42 Faas 83-628 X 2,514,554 7/50 Nowelsky 226 151 2,779,590 1/57 Seastrom 83-478 X 3,067,677 12/62 Kask 10'l--288 3,092,024 6/63 Wagner 101-26 X 3,102,472 9/63 Kieckhefer 101 22s 3,112,697 12/63 Pittman et al. 101-292 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM B. PENN, Examiner, 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR PERFORATING TAPE AND PRINTING INDICIA THEREON, THE COMBINATION OF A TABLE, A SUPPORT ON SAID TABLE, TAPE PERFORATING MEANS INCLUDING A PUNCH PRESS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT ARRANGED FOR DOWNWARD MOVEMENT AND HAVING A RETURN SPRING, TAPE PRINTING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TABLE INCLUDING AN OPERATING MEMBER ARRANGED FOR DOWNWARD MOVEMENT AND HAVING A RETURN SPRING, MEANS FOR GUIDING THE TAPE THROUGH SAID TAPE PERFORATING MEANS AND SAID TAPE PRINTING MEANS, LENGTHWISE EXTENDING SLIDEWAY MEANS ON SAID TABLE BETWEEN SAID TAPE PERFORATING MEANS AND SAID TAPE PRINTING MEANS, A SLIDE FOR SAID SLIDEWAY MEANS ARRANGED OR LONGITUDINAL BACK AND FORTH MOVEMENT ACROSS SAID TABLE, A FINGER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SLIDE FOR ENGAGING PERFORATIONS IN THE TAPE, SPRING MEANS ON SAID SLIDE FOR URGING SAID FINGER TO ENTER PERFORATIONS OF THE TAPE, AN OPERATING LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT HAVING MEANS ADJACENT ITS PIVOTED END FOR EFFECTING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PUNCH PRESS AND HAVING MEANS AT ITS OTHER END FOR EFFECTING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID TAPE PRINTING MEANS OPERATING MEMBER, A CRANK PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID TABLE, A FIRST LINK CONNECTING ONE ARM OF SAID CRANK TO SAID OPERATING LEVER AT A POINT BETWEEN ITS PUNCH PRESS AND TAPE PRINTING MEANS MOVEMENT EFFECTING MEANS, AND A SECOND LINK CONNECTING THE OTHER ARM OF SAID CRANK TO SAID SLIDE, SAID CRANK, LINKS AND OPERATING LEVER MEANS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED SO THAT SAID SLIDE IS FIRST MOVED TO CAUSE SAID FINGER TO ADVANCE THE TAPE ONE STEP AND SAID TAPE PERFORATING MEANS AND SAID TAPE PRINTING MEANS ARE OPERATED WHEN THE TAPE IS AT REST. 